Aerosol valve



A. F. BARKER Oct. 22, 1968 AEROSOL VALVE Filed May 31, 1966 OR ARTHUR FREDERICK BARKER v The present invention is directed to novel aerosol valve assemblies for pressurized aerosol "containers. More sfpeeifi c ally, the present invention is directed to an improved aerosol valve assembly adapted to be self-sealing, that is, having provisions for automatically closing off from the atmosphere the discharge opening in the, valve assembly except during those periods When the package is'in'ujse. J

In relatively recent years, a great many commodities have come to be sold inpressurized aerosol containers in which a product is discharged from the container under, pressure generated by an aerosolpropellant within the container. Control of the discharge .of the product is had by means of a valve assembly ordinarily mounted at the mouth of the container. The valve assembly usually contains an actuating device for opening the valve closure and a discharge orifice through which the product is dispensed. .,Despite the continually increasing number of commodifies being marketed in aerosol containers,.there has been heretofore a large number of comestible products which could not be effectively marketed in this manner. There are several reasons why present-day aerosol valves fail as. dispensing assemblies for food products. First of all, the particle size of many food products is of such a nature that the discharge metering orifice is easily clogged. Secondly, the food particles, when trapped in the standard valve closure, can prevent an effective seal from forming, thereby allowing the product to continuously seepv through the closure. Finally, thestandard valves are designed'in such a manner that the residue product is left exposed to the air in the valve passageways after discharge. It is well known that food products are of such nature that prolonged exposure to air adversely affects their quality or other physical characteristics.

Any one of these problems is easily solved by itself, but the solution of one problem usually magnifies the other problems. It has been difficult to design a valve assembly especially adapted to food products and the like which solves all these problems in one design.

The main difiiculty arises from the fact that in the usual arrangement of the valve assembly there is a substantial distance between the point where the valve closes and the discharge opening through which the aerosol contents are discharged to the atmosphere. As a result, the passageways connecting these points through which the product must pass before discharge are essentially dead spaces which are constantly exposed to the atmosphere. Inasmuch as there is always some residue of product left within this dead space between the valve closure and valve discharge, any residue product which includes a nonvolatile substance, such as comestibles, will eventually dry out in these passageways. At the same time, any product which will be adversely affected by exposure to the action of aerobic bacteria will have the residue in these passages so affected. Thus, upon subsequent usage of the aerosol, the dried out and/or contaminated residue will be dispensed with fresh product, rendering the discharged product totally unacceptable.

Accordingly, this invention is directed to an improved aerosol valve assembly to be used in combination with a pressurized container for dispensing comestibles or the like which will have no dead space between the valve closure and the atmosphere, thereby eliminating the prob- Unied Sta es. Pa

Patented Qct. 22, 1 968 2 lems inherent in said dead spaces such as the drying action of air or the attack of aerobic bacteria. The valve assembly of the present invention, therefore, contains its closure at the end of the discharge spout, thereby allowing no product to stand exposed to the atmosphere. A further advantageof the present valve assembly is that the valve closure is lined with a broad expanse of resilient material, whereby any particles or fibers trapped in the closure willbecome temporarily embedded in the resilient lining allowing a complete sealto form.

The present preferred form of the invention is .shown in the accompanying drawing and will be described. in detail hereinafter for the purpose of illustrating'oneway in which the invention may be made and used. From what has been said above, it will be apparent to those. skilled in the art that theprinciples and advantages of the invention could be obtained in other forms of the invention not specifically shown herein. The accompanying drawing and description to follow are, accordingly,,by way of example only and are not intended to define or restrict the scope of the invention. i

A better understanding of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this application and illustratesa preferred embodiment of this invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view in section of the valve assembly when in a closed position.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational viewin section of the valve assembly when inthe open or discharging position.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, there is shown a pressurized aerosol container valve assembly comprising an axially movable external spout 1, a lining 2 made of a resilient material internal to spout 1, said lining 2 forming at its base a grommet section 13 which extends into the opening in the aerosol container cap 3. A'pressure seal between the grommet 13 of the resilient lining 2 and the container cap 3 is effected in a manner well known in,

the art, being fully described in U.S. Patent 2,704,261. The resilient lining 2 also extends upward throughout the entire length of said external spout 1, but is not attached thereto. The valve stem 4, having an enlarged disc 7 at its base is axially fixed within the external spout 1 by being held in position by inset 6 in the grommet section of the resilient lining 2. The disc {1 at the base of the valve stem 4 is perforated to allow the product to be forced by the pressure of the propellant up through and around the outside of the valve stem 4. The upper portion of the valve stem 4 has an enlargement 4a which seats internally into the upper conically shaped portion of spout 1 and spout lining 2.

Near the base of the external spout 1, a spring 5 in the partially compressed state forces against collar 8 of external spout 1 tending to force the conically shaped upper portion of spout 1 and interior lining 2 against the enlarged valve stem 4a, thus holding the valving mechanism closed. A handle 9 is held firmly to the spout 1 by collar 8 and ridge 10 to provide means for compressing spring 5 and moving external spout 1 axially downward. The valve assembly is attached to the aerosol container 12 by crimping portion 11 of the container cap 3 into the aerosol container 12.

If it is desired to discharge the product with the container in the upright position, this valving mechanism may be used with a dip tube attachment. The dip tube is a conduit of suflicient length to extend to the bottom of the container. Such a dip tube can be attached to the valving mechanism by a number of techniques well known to those skilled in the art. The dip tube is made from any flexible material such as polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride.

FIGURE 2 shows the valve assembly in open position.

3 It will be seen that as downward pressure is applied to handle 9, spring is compressed permitting external spout 1 to be moved axially downward along the valve stem 4. As the external spout 1 moves downward, the internal pressure from within the container causes a discharge opening 14 to form by separating the resilient lining 2 from the axially fixed valve stem enlargement 4a as clearly shown in FIGURE 2. The internal pressure within the container prevents the lining 2 from buckling as the external spout 1 is moved axially downward. As the discharge opening 14 is formed, the pressure within the aerosol container forces the contents through the perforated disc 7 and out through the discharge opening 14. As soon as the handle 9 is released, spring 5 urges external spout 1 upward to close opening 14. The resilient lining 2 cmbeds any particles trapped during closure, thereby enabling a complete seal to form.

The resilient lining 2 of the valve assembly is made of an elastomeric material such as natural or synthetic rubber, polyethylene, or polyvinyl chloride. Rubber is the preferred material for the resilient lining. The rigid spout 1 and stem 4 are made of a rigid plastic such as nylon, polystyrene, polypropylene, or an acetal or a metal. A rigid plastic such as polystyrene is preferred.

It will be seen that the novel valve assembly of this invention does not have the undesirable dead space between the valve closure and the discharge opening. It will also be seen that the resilient lining 2 allows a complete seal to form between the valve stem and the external spout when the valve is closed, since any particles or fibers trapped in the closure will become temporarily embedded in the resilient lining.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A valve assembly for a pressurized aerosol container comprising (A) a discharge means formed by an axially movable external spout, a resilient lining, and a valve stem, said resilient lining fitting internally within said spout and being axially fixed within the container cap, said valve stem being axially fixed within said resilient lining and having an enlargement in the upper portion whereby said valve stem seats internally into the upper conically shaped portion of said spout and spout lining,

(B) spring means forcing said external spout and spout lining against said valve stem enlargement to maintain said discharge means in a closed position, and

(C) actuating means for forcibly depressing said spring means and thereby moving said external spout axially downward away from said valve stem enlargement to open said discharge means.

2. A valve assembly according to claim 1 wherein the resilient lining is made of rubber.

3. A valve assembly according to claim 1 wherein the external spout and valve stem are made from a rigid plastic.

4. A valve assembly according to claim 1 wherein the external spout and valve stem are made from polystyrene.

5. A valve assembly according to claim 1 wherein the resilient lining is made of rubber and the external spout and valve stem are made from a rigid plastic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,011,314 12/1911 Canner 251-353 1,899,506 2/1933 Hutt 251-353 2,516,040 7/1950 Zumdahl 251353 XR 2,555,490 6/1951 Horn. 2,892,574 6/1959 Noe 251-354 XR 3,108,721 10/1963 Nebinger 251353 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 616,431 3/1961 Canada.

SAMUEL SCOTT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR A PRESSURIZED AEROSOL CONTAINER COMPRISING (A) A DISCHARGE MEANS FORMED BY AN AXIALLY MOVABLE EXTERNAL SPOUT, A RESILIENT LINING, AND A VALVE STEM, SAID RESILIENT LINING FITTING INTERNALLY WITHIN SAID SPOUT AND BEING AXIALLY FIXED WITHIN THE CONTAINER CAP, SAID VALVE STEM BEING AXIALLY FIXED WITHIN SAID RESILIENT LINING AND HAVING AN ENLARGEMENT IN THE UPPER PORTION WHEREBY SAID VALVE STEM SEATS INTERNALLY INTO THE UPPER CONICALLY SHAPED PORTION OF SAID SPOUT AND SPOUT LINING, (B) SPRING MEANS FORCING SAID EXTERNAL SPOUT AND SPOUT LINING AGAINST SAID VALVE STEM ENLARGEMENT TO MAINTAIN SAID DISCHARGE MEANS IN A CLOSED POSITION, AND (C) ACTUATING MEANS FOR FORCIBLY DEPRESSING SAID SPRING MEANS AND THEREBY MOVING SAID EXTERNAL SPOUT AXIALLY DOWNWARD AWAY FROM SAID VALVE STEM ENLARGEMENT TO OPEN SAID DISCHARGE MEANS. 